8.8 cm Pak 43
The Pak 43 (Panzerabwehrkanone 43 and Panzerjägerkanone 43) was a German 88 mm anti-tank gun developed by Krupp in competition with the Rheinmetall 8.8 cm Flak 41 anti-aircraft gun and used during World War II. The Pak 43 was the most powerful anti-tank gun of the Wehrmacht to see service in significant numbers, also serving in modified form as the 8.8 cm KwK 43 main gun on the Tiger II tank, the open-top Nashorn and fully enclosed, casemate-hulled Elefant and Jagdpanther tank destroyers.
| 8.8 cm Pak 43 | |
|---|---|
8.8 cm Pak 43/41 on display at a weapons show on the northern sector of the Eastern Front in 1943. | |
| Type | Anti-tank gun |
| Place of origin | Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1943–1945 |
| Used by | Nazi Germany |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Krupp |
| Manufacturer | Krupp Rheinmetall-Borsig Henschel & Son |
| Unit cost | 26,000 RM |
| Produced | 1943–1945 |
| No. built | ~2,100 |
| Variants | Pak 43 Pak 43/41 KwK 43 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 3,650 kg (8,050 lb) Pak 43 |
| Barrel length | 628 cm (20 ft 7 in) bore (71 calibres) Pak 43 |
| Shell | 88 × 822mm R |
| Shell weight | 7.3 kg (16 lb) Armor-piercing composite rigid (APCR) Pzgr 40/43 |
| Caliber | 88 mm (3.46 in) |
| Breech | Semi-automatic vertical sliding-block |
| Recoil | Hydro-pneumatic |
| Carriage | Cruciform mount Pak 43 Split trail Pak 43/41 |
| Elevation | -8° to +40° Pak 43 -5° to +38° Pak 43/41 |
| Traverse | 360° Pak 43 56° Pak 43/41 |
| Rate of fire | 6–10 rounds per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,030 m/s (3,400 ft/s) Pzgr 40/43 |
| Maximum firing range | 15,150 m (49,705 ft) Pak 43 |
The improved 8.8 cm gun was fitted with a semi-automatic vertical breech mechanism that greatly reduced recoil. It could also be fired electrically while on its wheels. It had a very flat trajectory out to 914 m (1,000 yd), making it easier for the gunner to hit targets at longer ranges as fewer corrections in elevation were needed. The gun had exceptional penetration and could defeat the frontal armour of any Allied tank to see service during the war at long range, even the Soviet IS-2 tanks and IS chassis-based tank destroyers. The gun's maximum firing range exceeded 15 km (9.3 mi).